


Battle of the Bands

by I_llbedammned



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-03
Updated: 2014-01-03
Packaged: 2018-01-07 06:16:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1116495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_llbedammned/pseuds/I_llbedammned
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written originally for an AU contest in which The Avengers were reimagined as a modern rock-band.  So behod them as they have the ultimate rock off with the band Your King.  Your King is a sick gothic band with a killer cast: On the drums Red Skull, Laufey and the guitar, Whiplash on bass, and of course their frontman Loki.  Can the young motley crew of the Avengers beat the current reigning champions.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Battle of the Bands

A poster hung on the wall backstage in the concert hall. In big neon green letters it read "Battle of the Bands: One Night only." The tagline below it read "See your hometown heroes, The Avengers" versus intergalactic superband Your King!"

Clint looked out at the crowd, "Looks like it is sold out, you guys!" He said, turning his head back to his bandmates.

"I'm not surprised; it's not every day you get to see us get our asses kicked." Bruce noted with little emotion.

"Alright guys, the competition is going to be fierce out there. We've got to keep our heads if we're going to win this battle." Steve Rogers said calmly.

"Just go out there and beat one of the biggest bands in the country. Yeah, sure. This will be no problem,” Bruce said despondently.

"Have you ever listen to "Your King 's” last album?" Tony leaned back, in his metal chair. "I swear I could make better in a cave with a pile of scrap." 

Steve nodded in approval, "We can't let them beat us. This is could really be our big break. It's now or never!"

"Besides we got our secret weapon." Clint said with a smirk, jerking his head in the direction of the final bandmate.

In the corner stood Natasha in skin tight, black snakeskin jeans and a low-cut scarlet tank-top. She had her eyes closed and her ear was pressed to the electric violin. For a moment she stood there, focusing on the task at hand. Her eyes flashed open. "Shouldn't you be tuning your instruments?"

"Already on it!" Tony grinned wickedly. He began to belt out a few purposefully out of tune bars of "Thunderstruck" by AC-DC.

Clint moved to the side and took up his bass, tweaking the knobs until it sounded right. He watched as Thor took a seat behind the drums that were decorated in red and gold, adjusting the tension of the skins. Steve took up a guitar, red white and blue as the American flag. The man certainly did know how to run with a theme. Bruce grabbed ahold of the second guitar, his at a lower pitch than Steve's and in bright green. Bruce took a deep breath as he held the guitar and his nervousness just melted away.

"Move aside, mortal!" came a growl from behind Steve. There they were: Your King. The front man of the band, Loki, stood all pale skin and long dark hair that any goth kid would kill to have. He wore a black button-down shirt that was left open to show the toned body that had gained him quite the following of female fans. He looked good and he knew it judging by the grin on his face.

The rest of his band were decked out in costumes that must have cost thousands of dollars. Their drummer's skin was completely red and it looked like he had been skinned alive. Fitting for a man going by the title "Red Skull". Their lead guitarist, Laufey, had tribal tattoos all over his face and a glare that was only enhanced by bright red contacts. The bassist Whiplash had long cyber-dreads, a metal mask on his face and a whip he could pull out during the performance. He was well known for pulling out the whip and lighting it on fire during some of the songs.

"We at a battle of the bands or a haunted house?" Tony asked snidely.

Loki sneered, "I will show you what true musicianship is, pitiful whelp. You should just go home now."

"It would save us the time and energy it would take to kick your ass. They're all here to see us anyway. "growled Red Skull.

"Are you sure? Because from where I'm standing it look like you're our opening act." Tony countered; pleased to see he got a rise out of them. It looked as though Whiplash was going to take his face off.

A voice sounded from the stage, a guy who sounded far too excited about everything. "And now, for your listening pleasure I bring you the dark lords of rock: Your King!" The call disarmed the band and they brushed past to take the stage.

Clint looked around at his band as Your King took the stage. They had next to nothing in the way of costuming. Steve had dark blue T-shirt on with a pair of jeans and sneakers. Bruce was wearing something only called "college professor on stage" with a tweed jacket, bright purple shirt, and khaki pants. Clint was pretty sure he was going to drop dead on stage from heat exhaustion. Thor stood in a black T-shirt with skulls on it and a chain mail necklace. Tony appeared to have rolled out of bed two hours ago and shown up to the show, hair disheveled and yesterday's red button down on his chest. Clint himself had dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans, with a leather jacket and cowboy boots for style. Natasha looked the best out of all of them, but it still wasn't something he would ever classify as being "rockstar."

"Loki acts like he's so tough. Just another vampire wannabe who thinks he can be a rockstar. Nothing to worry about." Steve reassured.

Clint smirked ,"I'd still hit it."

"With a bat." Tony added in.

Your King took the stage with a swagger. "Kneel before, Your King!" came the command out of Loki's mouth, before the band jumped straight into a song.

The instruments were brutal. Red Skull pounded away on the drums like his life depended on it. Laufey played the guitar with ethereal grace. Loki's powerful voice screamed out over the crowd, dissolving any semblance of order with his command. There was an active mosh pit going on pretty quickly. The only bit of order was Whiplash's calm, cool bass-line that echoed like a pulse over the whole scene. It was like a spell they wove over everyone who listened to them.

How were they ever going to compete with that spectacle on stage?

"You call that music? Just sounds like banging on trashcans to me." Tony yelled.

The crowd roared in approval, drowning out any further snarky comments.

The announcer came on again: "That was one siiiick performance to beat. But let's see them try!"

Your King came off the stage, grinning wildly. "Your move." Whiplash said, his voice sounding like a robots from behind his mask.

The announcer again, "And here they are, your hometown heroes: The Avengers!"

The crowd cheered and one by own they took the stage. Clint couldn't help but notice just how bright the lights were out there.

"Who the hell out there is ready to see real music?" Tony bandied, his arms spread wide to address the crowd. He turned towards the band with a mic in his hand, "Let's show them how it's done!"

Maybe it was just nerves, but every note sounded a bit off when the song just started. Everyone just felt a tad bit out of place. Thor was too fast, Natasha too slow, Clint's fingers wouldn't move properly. The crowd seemed a bit displeased.

As if powered by spite, The Avengers began to pull together. The songs flowed smoothly and everything fell into a rhythm. Tony's voice rang with bravado and pain at the same time. Bruce and Steve were having a dueling competition with the guitars. Thor was showing off his skills, tossing sticks in the air as he was playing in a juggling spectacle. Clint walked to the edge of the stage and flirted with some girls as he played. Natasha danced gracefully over the stage while she performed, barely even registering the crowd was there in the first place.

The next time Clint looked out over the audience he saw it, the lighters and cell phones were taking to the air. Everyone was swaying in rhythm to their tunes. The crowd was awash in pale blue and warm yellow light.

Their set was finished. Time for the moment of truth. Your King walked back on stage to stand side by side with The Avengers.

The announcer sounded, "Okay now for the moment of truth. Who thinks Your King did better?" The crowd applauded loudly. Clint felt his stomach drop a bit.

"And who thinks The Avengers won that battle?" The crowd added in screams, the applause growing. Clint looked around in wonder, grinning like an idiot. He looked around and everyone else was smiling too. Tony raised his hands in victory.

"We'll be back. See you in New York, Stark." Loki threatened, grabbing a mic before storming off stage.

"Bring it on!" Tony called after their backs, "We'll beat you there too!" The crowd screamed, fueling their strength.


End file.
